Romancing the Throne Drabbles
by Balin Lord of Moria
Summary: A collection of drabbles written about King's Quest II. Spoilers again if you haven't played the game. Written in similar style to its predecessor, "Quest for the Crown Drabbles."
1. King Graham

**Disclaimer:** I do not own King's Quest: Romancing the Throne, Ken and Roberta Williams and Sierra Inc. do.

_**King Graham**_

* * *

The wise and beloved monarch of Daventry, King Graham, had been ruling the land wisely since Edward's death. He had proven to be much stronger and wiser than Edward the Benevolent was.

Now Graham, out of desire for companionship as well as an heir to the throne, took to wife a maiden of the land of Kolyma, another realm in the world of Daventry. Valanice was her name, and her beauty, wisdom, and goodness were beyond compare. At their wedding, she bore Graham's bridal gifts to her, the diamond and sapphire jewels of Kolyma.

Long live Queen Valanice of Daventry!


	2. Kolyma

_**Kolyma**_

* * *

The tropical land of Kolyma bathes in balmy breezes, and the sea laps its beaches with waves like warm, green tongues. Mermaids dwell there and sun themselves on the rocks there. Western Kolyma is mostly uninhabited, save by monks who shelter lost travelers from the evil undead who live there, and an old lady who owns an antique shop. In the east, across a chasm, the citizens live in a small town and the royal family live in a castle. The magical "law of containment" made the country turn back upon itself from the north and south, isolating lost children.


	3. Little Red Riding Hood

_**Little Red Riding Hood**_

* * *

A sweet little girl with long blond locks peeking out from her red cape and hood, Little Red Riding Hood lived in Kolyma and carried a basket of goodies for her Grandmother. When Graham met her on his quest, she had lost the basket when a large wolf, with the biggest jaws, jumped her and ran away with it.

Graham later found the basket in the mailbox in Grandma's House, and returned it to the little girl. In gratitude, the happy Little Red Riding Hood gave Graham her bouquet of flowers to him. Then she skipped happily away to Grandma's.


	4. Grandma and her House

_**Grandma and her House**_

* * *

Grandma was the ailing grandmother of Little Red Riding Hood. She lay in an elegant bed in her comfortable house, with frilly curtains covering the windows, flowers in vases, and blankets and coverlets surrounding Grandma. She was dressed in a warm flannel nightgown, with white curls peeking out from under a flannel nightcap. Graham decided to help her, too.

A little while later, Graham found a pot of hot chicken soup in the house of a thieving dwarf to the north of Grandma's House. Grandma ate the soup, and she soon felt much better, ready to live her life again.


	5. The Monastery of the Blessed Wilbury

_**The Monastery of the Blessed Wilbury**_

* * *

This monastery was a resting place and haven for weary travelers in western Kolyma. The monks living in the monastery often helped travelers in need. Its great bell chimed a half hour before sundown to warn all of the time when the Prince of Vampires hunted for food.

The monastery is evidently also a place where the monks, citizens, and travelers in Kolyma came to worship God and Jesus of Nazareth. Apparently, Christianity and God were very popular in Kolyma as well as Daventry. Graham and Valanice were themselves Christians, and believed in God even over the realms' lesser gods.


	6. Brother Fragola and the Chapel

_**Brother Fragola and the Chapel**_

* * *

The monastery's chapel was plain and unadorned. Rows of pews led toward an oaken altar, which was topped by a large wooden cross. The cross was plain and simple, supported by the altar. There was almost always a monk in simple clothing bent in prayer and worship toward the cross. They only stood or spoke when greeted by a visitor who showed reverence.

Brother Fragola was the monk Graham met early in his quest. The monk said that he had heard of Graham's quest, and gave him his silver cross, which he said would protect Graham from the evil undead.


	7. The Diamond and Sapphire Treasures

_**The Diamond and Sapphire Treasures**_

* * *

Throughout his quest to find his bride, King Graham found many interesting treasures and tools to help him on his quest. They ranged from a mallet to a stake to a pitchfork. But his greatest treasures were the diamond and sapphire jewelry he found scattered in unlikely places around Kolyma.

Among the treasures he found were such things as a brooch, a necklace, a bracelet, and a pair of earrings. At the end of the quest, he presented them to his bride-to-be, and she wore them during their wedding ceremony. She was overjoyed Graham thought about her beauty.


	8. The Chasm and the Bridge

_**The Chasm and the Bridge**_

* * *

A chasm stretched across the eastern part of Kolyma. Graham wanted to cross it, but the only way across was an extremely rickety bridge, and the chasm was _very_ deep.

The bridge was old and feeble. It had frayed ropes, reaching out from the fragile cables like the hairs of a very frightened, skinny cat, and the planks were as much air as they were wood. Graham had to cross it quickly and lightly, and he needed to do it seven times in his quest.

And that was a good thing, because the bridge wouldn't support more than seven crossings!


	9. The First Door

_**The First Door**_

* * *

The door Graham found had a back and front, but no sides at all. He could easily walk around it. Evidently, it was the magic door that led to his heart's desire.

It was locked, so he could not open it, and there was an inscription engraved on it, too. It said: _"Whosoever chooses to seek the key to this door will undoubtedly make a splash."_ And that was all.

The king knew then that he had to go in, or under, a body of water to find the key, and he soon hurried on his way to find it.


	10. The Dwarf Returns

_**The Dwarf Returns**_

* * *

In a gloomy forest just north of Grandma's House, Graham encountered another thieving dwarf like the one he was almost robbed by in Daventry. He may have been the same one. This time, however, Graham was not able to dodge or outrun the short but strong bandit.

The dwarf rammed into him and beat him up, stealing every jewel Graham had collected so far, and ran off, leaving Graham dizzy. Graham was afraid he had lost his treasures for good, but several minutes later, he noticed a house built into a tree.

Who knew? It could've been the dwarf's home!


	11. The Dwarf's House

_**The Dwarf's House**_

* * *

It _was_ the home of the dwarf!

The house was underground, beneath a big oak tree. Down a ladder from an anteroom, and then down a short tunnel, was a one-room house where the dwarf lived. Fortunately, the dwarf wasn't there at the time. There was a pot of chicken soup over a fire, which Graham took to cure Grandma of her ailments, and as payback to the dwarf for stealing his treasures. He also found a chest, which turned out to be where the dwarf kept his treasures. Graham's stolen treasures were taken back by their rightful owner.


	12. The Mermaid

_**The Mermaid**_

* * *

After some more exploring around Kolyma, Graham came to Mermaid Rocks. As per its name, it was a few rocks sticking out of the sea just offshore, and mermaids sometimes sunned themselves there. And on that day, Graham found one of them on a rock.

The king felt that a compliment should be paid to her beauty, so he swam out and gave her the bouquet of flowers Little Red Riding Hood had given him. She was so happy that she called for a seahorse, intending for Graham to take a ride to Neptune's Kingdom. Graham graciously accepted the ride!


	13. Neptune's Kingdom

_**Neptune's Kingdom**_

* * *

As the mermaid departed, the seahorse carried Graham underwater and away from the shore. It was filled with fish, sharks, starfish, seaweed, rocks, and corals everywhere. Life under the sea was very diverse indeed.

This underwater kingdom was ruled by Neptune, a god who was the ancient ruler of the sea, who presumably was helping Graham breathe underwater. He was a friendly monarch, for the most part, and he ruled the ocean with a firm but gentle hand, though he was capable of punishing those who crossed him. And there he was, sitting on his throne by a large clam.


	14. King Neptune and the First Key

_**King Neptune and the First Key**_

* * *

Neptune was magnificent, with his green beard and his crown of shells and corals. Nonetheless, Graham sensed that something was missing from him. Neptune always wielded a trident, but he didn't have one. Then Graham remembered the pitchfork he found, and offered it to the undersea king. A look of gratitude crossed his face, and he waved it. A large clam next to his throne opened, and there was a golden key inside. The key to the door! Graham received the key, and also a bottle with a cloth inside. Graham nodded his thanks, and was returned to the surface.


	15. The Second Door

_**The Second Door**_

* * *

After crossing the bridge again, Graham came to the magic door and used the golden key to unlock it, but to his disappointment, there was another magic door behind it, and it, too, was locked. Plus, the golden key vanished after the first door was opened.

He did notice that this door also had an inscription on it. It said: _"Whosoever chooses to seek the key for this door should set their sights high."_

Graham wasn't sure exactly where he would have to go to get high up in the air, but he wouldn't stop at anything to find out.


	16. The Fairy

_**The Fairy**_

* * *

On his first quest for the crown, Graham had an encounter with his fairy godmother, who provided him with a spell that protected him from danger. He appreciated it, though it came late in his quest. On his second quest, he encountered another, similar fairy who could fly and was smaller than the fairy godmother.

She materialized above Graham after his time with the magic doors, and proceeded to sprinkle fairy dust on him while wavering and dancing in the air. She gave him a protective spell that would guard against common evil, warning him that it was short.

"_Thanks!"_


	17. Hagatha the Hag

_**Hagatha the Hag**_

* * *

This wicked crone was the person who locked away the object of Graham's quest. She was green-skinned and white-haired, with poor eyesight and no teeth, who ate human stew. She killed her victims, which she detected with her sense of smell, and cooked them in a cauldron for later consumption.

It was for reasons of jealousy regarding Valanice's beauty that the hag had imprisoned the maiden of Kolyma. She could not stand any maiden being stunningly more beautiful than her. But Graham intended to settle that score by rescuing Valanice. And at that moment, Graham visited Hagatha's cave.


	18. Hagatha's Cave and the Nightingale

_**Hagatha's Cave and the Nightingale**_

* * *

Hagatha's cave was gruesome. A cauldron full of human meat was on a fire in the middle of the chamber, which Hagatha often stirred. Many human skulls littered the cave and stood on stakes. But one thing of beauty was there, a nightingale in a cage. Graham came to the cave and silently rescued the bird from the witch with the help of his cloth from Neptune. Hagatha waited outside, and almost caught Graham, but the fairy's protective spell saved him, and the nightingale didn't make any noise, either.

Now he just had to find a home for the bird.


	19. The Sorcerer Returns

_**The Sorcerer Returns**_

* * *

A sorcerer wandered around near a poisoned lake with an island and a castle on it. The sorcerer was not the same one from Daventry, but he was just as evil and dangerous. Graham bungled into him on his way towards the mountains, where he intended to "set his sights high" on the mountaintops in order to find the second key. Fortunately, the fairy's spell was still in effect, and the sorcerer reluctantly decided to leave him alone.

If Graham didn't have that charm on him, this sorcerer would have turned him into a frog! That's worse than being immobilized!


	20. Ye Old Antique Shoppe and Milvia

_**Ye Old Antique Shoppe and Milvia**_

* * *

Beyond the sorcerer in eastern Kolyma, near the chasm, was a cute old antique shop owned by a little old lady named Milvia. There were old pieces of furniture, ancient brazen pots, and knickknacks of all kinds displayed for sale. Graham noticed that there was also a shiny brass lamp on display.

Graham offered the nightingale to Milvia, thinking it would make a good decoration and good companionship for her. It turned out she already owned the nightingale, and she gave him the lamp in gratitude for him rescuing it before closing shop to enjoy time with her favorite bird.


	21. The Genie of the Lamp

_**The Genie of the Lamp**_

* * *

Graham rubbed some tarnish off of the lamp, and a magic genie appeared. It offered him a free gift of a magic carpet that could fly in the air. Graham was astonished, to say the least, and he knew that with that carpet, he could truly set his sights high to get the second key.

Two more rubs of the lamp and the genie also gave him a sharp sword and a strange-looking leather bridle. Then the genie vanished, and with him the lamp. With no more new items coming, Graham rode the carpet high up into the clouds.


	22. The Cliffs and the Snake

_**The Cliffs and the Snake**_

* * *

The carpet deposited Graham on a cliff face way above the surface of Kolyma. There was no other way down. He walked east, but his path was blocked by a venomous snake. He had intended to kill it with his sword, but he accidentally threw the bridle on it instead. Still, clumsy or not, it turned out for the better, for the snake transformed into a white winged horse named Pegasus!

It spoke to Graham, giving him its gratitude, and rewarded him with a sugar cube that would protect against poisonous brambles. Then, as Graham watched, Pegasus flew away majestically.


	23. The Second Key

_**The Second Key**_

* * *

There were no more obstacles before the king found the second key on a rock in a cave just beyond where the snake had been, not even any traps. Graham wondered if this was too convenient, but decided to concentrate on his quest instead of on the what-ifs. He picked up the golden key, which looked exactly like the first key, and returned to the cliff face.

He had intended for the carpet to land him by the magic door, but it dropped him off by the antique shop instead, and it wouldn't fly anymore. Back to the bridge!


	24. The Third Door

_**The Third Door**_

* * *

Graham crossed the weak bridge again and walked up to the second door. To his relief, no one had closed the first door while he was gone. He put the key in the lock and unlocked the door, and then he opened it.

Behind it was one more magic door, and like the others, it too was locked and required a key. Graham proceeded to read its inscription. It said: _"Whosoever chooses to seek the last key must have a stout heart." _Somehow Graham knew that it involved the evil beings that lived on the poisoned lake.

Time for stoutness!


	25. The Poisoned Lake and the Boatman

_**The Poisoned Lake and the Boatman**_

* * *

The lake was so poisonous that even a stray splash, let alone a drink, could be fatal. It was the ideal home for the evil undead in Kolyma. And as Graham approached it, there was a ghoul waiting in a boat.

He had a feeling the boatman wanted treasure for passage across the lake, but Graham had a better idea. He put on a ruby ring and a black cloak that Grandma had given him, disguising himself as the frightening owner of the castle. Fooled by the disguise, the boatman ferried Graham across the lake to its ominous island home!


	26. The Brambles and the Ghosts

_**The Brambles and the Ghosts**_

* * *

Those brambles that leaned into the path to the front door looked positively wicked. Graham knew that they were also poisonous, so, thanking Pegasus for his gift, Graham ate the magic sugar cube, and he made it safely, if a little painfully, past the thorns and up to the door.

Two ghoulish ghosts were guarding the door. Graham put on his cross as a defense against them, but as he approached, the ghosts seemed to be just as fooled as the boatman by his disguise, and disappeared from sight. Graham opened the door, and walked into the barren old castle.


	27. The Castle of Count Dracula

_**The Castle of Count Dracula**_

* * *

The castle of the legendary Count Dracula was cold and unwholesome to Graham. There was little furniture and no cheer. Torches provided the light for the castle's interior. Graham decided to search the place. It certainly _was_ a place where one must have a stout heart.

In one of the towers, in an old bedroom, he found a candle, and he lit it with one of the torches. In the dining room, he found a big, delicious-looking ham, which he also took. He chose to check the crypt next, for he knew that was where the key must be.


	28. The Crypt of Count Dracula

_**The Crypt of Count Dracula**_

* * *

Down the dark stairs Graham went, his candle lighting the way. At the bottom, rats scurried about on their nameless errands. Graham walked bravely into the crypt chamber, and found Dracula's closed casket. His heart beating fast, the king opened the lid, and there was the Count, sound asleep!

On the spur of the moment, Graham suddenly struck his stake into Dracula's heart with his mallet, and at last, the greatest and most evil of vampires was gone, reduced to dust! He left a silver key behind, which Graham took, as well as the last golden key under the pillow.


	29. The Tiara and Graham's Escape

_**The Tiara and Graham's Escape**_

* * *

Last, Graham checked the other tower, where there was only a single locked chest. He managed to unlock it with Dracula's silver key, and behold, there was a diamond and sapphire tiara inside, its brilliance destined for a queen! Graham gladly took the crown with him.

Graham went out the door, where there were no ghosts waiting, and made another scratchy walk through the brambles, before finally making it to the boatman and his ferry at the shore of the island. Fooled by the disguise once more, the ghoul gave Graham a ride back to the shore, and rowed away.


	30. The Third Key

_**The Third Key**_

* * *

Making it across the rickety bridge for the seventh and last time, Graham knew it would not save him an eighth time. He returned to the doors, where the first two still stood open. Preparing himself for whatever lay beyond those doors, Graham inserted the third and last key and unlocked the third and last door.

When the door opened, Graham found another world beyond the doorway. He left Kolyma and the doors behind when he entered it. As he emerged, the new world that he found himself in was a place beyond his wildest, and most colorful, of dreams.


	31. The New World

_**The New World**_

* * *

Such a world! There were marvels everywhere to be seen that anyone would pay to see. The sky was pink, the sea it reached down to was a rainbow of colors, and the beach was cobalt blue. The rock-faced cliffs behind Graham towered above and below the narrow strand. A lavender waterfall fell nearby.

Evidently, the waters of the sea were un-swimmable for any human, so Graham couldn't just cross it. And that frustrated him, for he could see the exotic island across the waters, and the Crystal Tower where his love was imprisoned.

He decided to investigate his surroundings.


	32. The Talking Fish

_**The Talking Fish**_

* * *

He found a fishing net on the beach near the waterfall. Needless to say, he fished with it, hoping to catch a fish or something to help him cross the sea. He suddenly caught a golden fish and dropped it on the beach.

Not wanting the fish to suffer, Graham grabbed it and threw it back into the ocean. The fish reemerged from the water, and thanked Graham for saving his life. In return, the fish offered Graham a free ride across the sea to the island. Graham couldn't refuse, and the fish took him straight to the island's shore.


	33. The Enchanted Island

_**The Enchanted Island**_

* * *

Upon reaching the island, the fish flung Graham onto the shore. Graham hit his head, but when he recovered and stood up, he saw that the island was no less amazing than the beach had been.

The ground was yellow as gold, and there was all kinds of vegetation growing everywhere. There was even a tiny island offshore with one tree growing on it, but he couldn't reach it.

On the northern section of the island, he found a strange amulet lying out in the open on the ground. It said "HOME." Just where Graham wanted to be right then.


	34. The Crystal Tower

_**The Crystal Tower**_

* * *

Creamy quartz, the blocks of the Crystal Tower reflected the strange sunlight in rainbow waves. It was as tall as thirty feet or more above the enchanted island. Graham could see a tiny window at the top, where a delicate hand waved. He knew that that was the love he had come for. She called down, pleading for him to come and rescue her before Hagatha returned. The voice was like melody to Graham's ears. He was impelled towards the tower door. It was unlocked, possibly because of the island's isolation. The object of Graham's quest was at its top.


	35. The Stairs

_**The Stairs**_

* * *

Graham found a staircase leading up to the top of the tower. In his excitement, he tried to rush up them, but the stairs were slimed and narrow, and he slipped and fell several times before he came back to his senses. He remembered the old saying that so many people around the multiverse had quoted: _"Slow and steady wins the race."_ With this in mind, Graham climbed up the stairs more slowly, and with more care. This time, he managed to get up the stairs successfully, slowly but surely, until he reached the top, where a hungry lion awaited!


	36. The Lion

_**The Lion**_

* * *

It was a large lion. Indeed, it was almost huge! And though it was chained to the wall, it looked very dangerous. It was guarding the door to the prison cell where Valanice was being held.

Graham might have killed it with his sword like he intended to do with the snake earlier, but then he perceived that the lion was not so much fierce as hungry. Graham gave the big cat the big ham he had found in Dracula's dining room, thinking the beast would let him pass if he did that. It worked. The lion was soon asleep.


	37. Queen Valanice

_**Queen Valanice**_

* * *

Born into Kolyma royalty, Valanice had propriety and proportion, and class without the stuffiness common in other members of nobility. She was also organized and intelligent, and was greatly skilled in diplomacy. Her beauty, wisdom, and goodness were beyond compare, in youth and older age alike. She was soft and lovely, but went flat when she meant business, and her strength, grace, and wisdom were an example for the people of Daventry, both men and women alike. After Graham rescued her, she taught him the finer points of being a monarch, which Graham didn't fully understand.

Long live Queen Valanice!


	38. The Amulet and Home

_**The Amulet and Home**_

* * *

Upon opening the door and entering the cell, Graham and Valanice were soon in each other's arms. They looked at each other for a long time. She thanked him over and over again for saving her. They talked for minutes. They sighed, and embraced each other again. They kissed romantically, both normal and French style.

After all that, Graham wasn't sure what to do exactly to get them home again. Valanice asked him where he would take her, and he said, "Home."

And at that instant, the magic amulet activated and teleported them off the island and back to civilization!


	39. The Wedding at the Monastery

_**The Wedding at the Monastery**_

* * *

It was a beautiful day in Kolyma, and at the Monastery of the Blessed Wilbury, many people had gathered to see King Graham and Queen Valanice get married. Valanice approached the altar, where Graham and Brother Fragola stood and waited, and the monk said, _"I now pronounce you man and wife."_

Graham kissed Valanice so sweetly that everyone in the chapel applauded, well, almost everyone. A few evildoers, including Hagatha, had also come to see the wedding, but they made no attempts to ruin or crash it.

The fairy of Kolyma sprinkled fairy dust on the newlyweds as they left.


	40. Epilogue: Return to Daventry

_**Epilogue: Return to Daventry**_

* * *

Here the story ends. Graham and Valanice were welcomed back to Castle Daventry with open arms. Their private honeymoon was, in Graham's words, "the most beautiful experience in their lives." Even Gerwain, Graham's prime minister, who had disapproved of Graham's rash quest away from his subjects, was delighted to see such a happy royal couple.

Brother Fragola was invited to Daventry by Graham, who appointed him as the chaplain of the Church of Daventry. The lion was returned to its home, and the rickety bridge was repaired. And Hagatha? Who knows?

Look live King Graham and Queen Valanice of Daventry!


End file.
